Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary
Leaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.) remove leaf litter and woody debris—potential fuels—in and around their nests and foraging trails. We conducted single and three annual experimental fires to determine the effects of this leaf-cutter ant activity on the behavior of low-intensity, slow-moving fires. In a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/780713 |
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| author | Karine S. Carvalho Ane Alencar Jennifer Balch Paulo Moutinho |
| author_facet | Karine S. Carvalho Ane Alencar Jennifer Balch Paulo Moutinho |
| author_sort | Karine S. Carvalho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Leaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.) remove leaf litter and woody debris—potential fuels—in and around their nests and foraging trails. We conducted single and three annual experimental fires to determine the effects of this leaf-cutter ant activity on the behavior of low-intensity, slow-moving fires. In a transitional forest, where the southern Amazon forest meets the Brazilian savanna, we tested whether leaf-cutter ant nests and trails (i) inhibit fire spread due to a lack of fuels, and (ii), thereby, reduce the total burned area during these experimental low-intensity fires, particularly at forest edges where leaf-cutter ant abundance was higher. Fine-medium fuel mass increased with an increase in distance from ant nest, and the mean area of bare soil was greater on nests than on the forest floor. Between 60 to 90 percent of the unburned area was within 30 m of ant nests, and burned area significantly increased with increasing distance to ant nests. In addition, the number of ant nests declined with increasing distance from the forest edge, and, with exception of the first experimental fire, burned area also increased with increasing distance from the edge. The present study provides new insight to fire ecology in Amazon environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c0b6053f5bfc4cf7be9729074e1ff5b4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0033-2615 1687-7438 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| spelling | doaj-art-c0b6053f5bfc4cf7be9729074e1ff5b42025-02-03T06:14:09ZengWileyPsyche: A Journal of Entomology0033-26151687-74382012-01-01201210.1155/2012/780713780713Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna BoundaryKarine S. Carvalho0Ane Alencar1Jennifer Balch2Paulo Moutinho3Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Avenida José Moreira Sobrinho, 45206-190 Jequié, BA, BrazilInstituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, Avenida Nazaré 669, 66035-170 Belém, PA, BrazilWoods Hole Research Center, 149 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth, MA 02450, USAInstituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, Avenida Nazaré 669, 66035-170 Belém, PA, BrazilLeaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.) remove leaf litter and woody debris—potential fuels—in and around their nests and foraging trails. We conducted single and three annual experimental fires to determine the effects of this leaf-cutter ant activity on the behavior of low-intensity, slow-moving fires. In a transitional forest, where the southern Amazon forest meets the Brazilian savanna, we tested whether leaf-cutter ant nests and trails (i) inhibit fire spread due to a lack of fuels, and (ii), thereby, reduce the total burned area during these experimental low-intensity fires, particularly at forest edges where leaf-cutter ant abundance was higher. Fine-medium fuel mass increased with an increase in distance from ant nest, and the mean area of bare soil was greater on nests than on the forest floor. Between 60 to 90 percent of the unburned area was within 30 m of ant nests, and burned area significantly increased with increasing distance to ant nests. In addition, the number of ant nests declined with increasing distance from the forest edge, and, with exception of the first experimental fire, burned area also increased with increasing distance from the edge. The present study provides new insight to fire ecology in Amazon environments.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/780713 |
| spellingShingle | Karine S. Carvalho Ane Alencar Jennifer Balch Paulo Moutinho Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| title | Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary |
| title_full | Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary |
| title_fullStr | Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary |
| title_short | Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary |
| title_sort | leafcutter ant nests inhibit low intensity fire spread in the understory of transitional forests at the amazon s forest savanna boundary |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/780713 |
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